The Statistical Support and Data Management (SS&DM) Core will promote the theme of the Center for Advancing Longitudinal Drug Abuse Research by facilitating the use of advanced statistical methods for analysis of longitudinal data and the cost-effective acquisition and management of longitudinal data. Specific aims are: 1) provide statistical consultation to Center researchers on analysis issues specifically relevant to longitudinal research on drug abuse and its interaction with drug treatment and other service systems; 2) develop and deliver a program of statistical education on analysis of longitudinal data, specialized to drug abuse research applications; 3) conduct analysis of data combined and/or compared across multiple studies in order to develop, expand, compare, and validate complex models; 4) provide consultation on strategies for the efficient acquisition and processing of high quality data; and 5) promote the accessibility and comparability of data acquired by Center projects. Core activities will include consultation to Center-supported and collaborating researchers on statistical and data-related issues; development of procedures, examples and applications to support consultation; workshops for statisticians, researchers, and consumers of research results; and cross-project analyses. Analytic methods will include generalized linear/non-linear models and structural equation modeling with latent variables for growth curves, multi-level, and multiple group models. Core staff will work with Center and collaborating researchers to identify and refine research questions and hypotheses related to drug use trajectories and their interaction with service systems such as drug treatment, criminal justice, and mental health. Efforts should lead to improved application of analytic methods, better data quality, more effective use of research results, and increased productivity.